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Burnaby's beauty just waiting to be explored

City locations featured in new day-tripping book

Author Jack Christie might know a thing or two about taking a day trip in Metro Vancouver, but he doesn't know everything - and that's why he continues to write and research on the ever-expanding cities.

In his recent book, 52 Best Day Trips From Vancouver, Christie documented favourite and unknown locations in the Lower Mainland - including Burnaby.

"Metro Vancouver is just the most beautiful city," Christie told the Burnaby NOW in a phone interview.

Christie has been a Georgia Straight columnist since 1986, writing about local adventures (Outside). He was the 2004 recipient of the Tourism B.C. Tourism Media Award. He's the host of TV's The Rec Report, and he's published other non-fiction bestsellers such as Best Weekend Getaways from Vancouver and The Whistler Book.

"I'm naturally curious," Christie said. "And I like to tell people about it."

Christie said the 1970s was a busy time for regional parks, as one seemed to come online every year and due to that growth it sparked his column at the Vancouver weekly.

Christie also shared some statistics from his book: the Lower Mainland has 19 provincial parks, 18 regional parks, 29 municipal parks, five conservation regional parks, two B.C. Hydro recreational sites, two federal parks, two B.C. interpretive forests and one country park in Point Roberts, Washington, just south of the border.

"There is a wealth of places that's out there to explore year-round," he added. "We just have too much of a good thing to fit in. These places are truly outstanding."

Christie said he spends a lot of time in Burnaby, and he's written about the many places in the city a lot more in the Georgia Straight than he could fit in his book.

"There's just so much," he explained. "Especially in the Burnaby Heights area. - I love the Barnet Marine Park."

Christie said he especially loves the trail that goes into Burnaby Mountain and he and his wife, Louise Christie, the photographer of his book, attend many events at the local sports centre.

"There's a real convergence again for people who want to explore locally," he noted. "I parallel it with the slow-food movement."

Christie said that with the rising shift in people shopping locally for produce, they're also looking to travel more locally as well.

"People are going out more in their local areas and are just exploring it," he said. "Also because of the rising gas prices."

One area that's really captivated Christie and his wife's attention is Deer Lake.

"We love Deer Lake," he said. "The more I discover about Deer Lake, the more impressed I am. - It's come to rival Stanley Park."

It took about six months of research and preparation for his latest work.

The newest feature includes a thorough index in the back where people can look up an activity, see what pages it corresponds with, and find out almost immediately what the closest spot is, for example, for dog walking or wind surfing.

"I'm excited about the new edition," Christie said. "People don't want to have to research a lot, and they don't have to because we've done it all."

He hopes the book will encourage people to get out and enjoy the city.

"You can't spend too much time indoors," he said. "It's just not a good idea for your head space."

To find out more, check out his website at www. jackchristie.com.